For those not wishing a spoiled reading of this novel, be forewarned, as spoilers may be present.
This novel follows the actions and characters surrounding Kurt Leitzig, an Empire knight who descends into Chaos over the course of the book.
As book one of a trilogy, Thorpe introduces us to the realm of the Warhammer world in a decently paced book. Over the course of the story, we learn more about the knight and his history and witness his betrayal of his ideals and honor. We are introduced to several elements of the Warhammer fantasy world, and these elements add a sense of history and scope to what may have been an otherwise odd turn of events.
The main story stems from the Empire going to war with northern raiders who are aligned with Chaos. Leitzig, as a knight, is ordered far from his love—Ursula—in service to the ideals of his land. A subplot introduces us to a witch hunter named Marius hunting a skaven sect that is influencing famine and pestilence in several cities. These two elements converge in Lietzig’s home village, as Ursula is tried as a heretic and sorceress. The knight rescues Ursula from the grasp of the village mob, only to come face to face with his past—the witch hunter had destroyed his family. The knight and witch hunter begin to go mad from there.
Overall the story is geared up for the madness that stems from Chaos and from being manipulated. Lietzig’s character was sympathetic until the last few chapters of the book, where his Chaos-aligned manservant convinces him of his greatness in Chaos. Lietzig changes into monster, and destroys the hope I had for him and Ursula to get back together.
The story pacing and scope feels adequate, but the trilogy structure leads me to wonder how this series will conclude. The oddest part of the novel is the presence of a prologue, as there is neither an interlude nor epilogue to round out this volume; we’ll have to see how the trilogy rounds out this little detail.
While I did have some apprehension that this was a British English novel—having taken several classes with dry British authors—I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of which I took to reading the book, American English readers should have no problems with reading through this novel. Thorpe did a solid job with this novel and I look forward to seeing how this trilogy concludes.
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